1,720,973 research outputs found
Hedonic and eudaimonic well-being in late adulthood: lessons from Sardinia’s Blue Zone
Full text linkThis study was conducted to investigate whether socio-cultural context (i.e., urban versus rural), perceived physical health, marital status, and satisfaction with family and non-family ties predicted hedonic and eudaimonic well-being in late adulthood and to examine the impact of the socio-cultural context on well-being, physical health and satisfaction with family and non-family ties by controlling age.One hundred and one community-dwelling participants aged between 68 and 94 were enrolled in the Sardinian Blue Zone—an area of exceptional longevity located in Sardinia, an Italian island in the Mediterranean Sea—and in the city of Cagliari—the regional capital. All participants completed a battery of tools assessing global cognitive efficiency, hedonic (i.e., SPANE and Satisfaction with Life Scales) and eudaimonic (i.e., Flourishing Scale) well-being, perceived physical health, and satisfaction with family and non-family ties. Hedonic and eudaimonic well-being were associated with several variables: marital status, socio-cultural context, and perceived physical health predicted 24% of the variance in the SPANE condition, 52% of the variance in the Satisfaction with Life condition was predicted by the socio-cultural context and satisfaction with family ties, whereas 39% of the Flourishing index was predicted by the socio-cultural context and physical health. Finally, the participants in the Sardinian Blue Zone reported better mental well-being and satisfaction with family and non-family ties than older people living in Cagliari. In conclusion, a socio-cultural context in which positive relationships in late adulthood are strengthened contributes to the promotion of mental health in late adulthood
The role of cognitive reserve as mediator for addition and multiplication skills in late adulthood
No full textBackground: The role played by cognitive reserve for the maintenance of numeracy skills in late adulthood is still not sufficiently explored. Aims: This study mainly investigated whether cognitive reserve (i.e., vocabulary) mediates on the relationship between non-verbal reasoning and addition and multiplication skills of older individuals. Moreover, the impact of schooling and gender on written calculation was examined, controlling for the effect of cognitive decline. Methods: One hundred and six 68–94-year-old participants completed a battery of tests assessing numeracy, executive functions, and cognitive reserve skills. Results: Significant correlations were found between age, cognitive reserve, numeracy, and executive functions measures. Besides, mediation analyses indicated that cognitive reserve and non-verbal reasoning explain 23% and 29% of the variance in written addition and multiplication conditions, respectively. Finally, more educated individuals performed better numeracy tasks, whereas the solution of additions and multiplications was not impact by gender. Conclusions: Cognitive reserve impacts numeracy in late adulthood
Associations between migration experience and perceived mental health in optimal ageing: evidence from the Sardinian Blue Zone
Full text linkThe effect of migration on perceived mental health has not been examined in older migrants after their return to their places of origin. This study was mainly aimed at evaluating the perceived mental health of older people who experienced migration and permanent resident peers living in the Sardinian Blue Zone (i.e. one of the four areas of exceptional longevity in the world). Forty-eight community-based older participants (32 males and 16 females) with and without a migration experience were recruited in two villages of the Sardinian Blue Zone and completed a battery of self-report inventories assessing psychological well-being, negative mood, and ego resilience. Older individuals who experienced migration reported higher ego resilience and exhibited greater resources used to manage positive emotionality (i.e. openness to life experiences). Moreover, compared to the normative data, both the groups reported higher psychological well-being and fewer depressive symptoms. Finally, no significant associations were found between the length of migration and each mental health index. In conclusion, resilience seems to represent a psychological trait that helps to manage stressful events and contributes to the preservation of perceived mental health in late adulthood
Mental Health and Religiosity in the Sardinian Blue Zone: Life Satisfaction and Optimism for Aging Well
Full text linkThis study evaluated the impact of the sociocultural context on dispositional optimism and resilience, life satisfaction, and religiosity in late adulthood. Moreover, the associations between those psychological measures and religiosity were investigated. Ninety-five older individuals recruited in the Sardinian Blue Zone and Cagliari completed a battery of tools assessing cognitive and mental health, and religiosity. Life satisfaction correlated with resilience and religiosity, whereas resilience correlated with optimism. Furthermore, participants of the rural area reported greater optimism and life satisfaction than peers living in the urban area. In conclusion, optimism and hedonic well-being favor optimal aging in the Blue Zone
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Personal noise exposure in dimension stone quarries: the role of quarrying technology and quarry design
No full textThe influence of operating parameters on the total productivity of diamond wire in cutting granite
No full textThis report describes a research project carried out at the DiGITA laboratories of the University of Cagliari in Italy, which had the objective of improving knowledge of the methods for predicting the total productivity of diamond wire. The study of the tool performance considers the variations in operating parameters such as the peripheral wire speed and the cutting rate
Psychosocial correlates of flourishing in the late lifespan
Full text linkBackground Flourishing is a primary dimension of psychological well-being that contributes massively to the development of an active, purposeful, and respectful life, full of meaning, values, and personal interests that nurture social ties.AimsThis study primarily intended to examine the contribution of satisfaction with family relations, resilience, metacognitive efficiency, and crystallized intelligence in predicting a flourishing measure in cognitively healthy older adults. Moreover, the impact of gender was investigated on flourishing, satisfaction with family ties, resilience, and metacognitive efficiency.MethodsOne hundred and eighty 65-94-year-old community dwellers were recruited in Sardinia (Italy). Participants self-rated their flourishing, satisfaction with their family connections, psychological hardness (i.e., a dimension of resilience), and cognitive function, whereas global cognitive efficiency and vocabulary were assessed through two internationally validated objective tests.ResultsA hierarchical regression analysis revealed that 30% of the variance in the flourishing condition was explained by satisfaction with family ties, resilience, and metacognitive efficiency. In addition, males exhibited higher flourishing and satisfaction with family ties than females, and the former group also reported being more autonomous and acting proactively to influence its destiny.ConclusionEmotional support and rewarding relations with family members, the ability to face stressful events, and a good perception of one's cognitive efficiency play a crucial role in promoting flourishing in late adulthood
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